Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
the Hugger Troll
Renius Quintus Marcellus was having a better day of it. His head pounded inside the confines of his helmet as he staggered to his feet with the help of his Optio under the shields of his remaining cohort. Britons were on all sides yelling their war cries as they bashed into the legionaries struggled to maintain the shield. His Optio nodded before shouting at the legionaries to hold the line. Shaking his head free of the din inside his head, he gripped his customary sword and snapped to. "Come on, you bastards! Is this what Rome has to give?" he shouted at his men and got into the thick of it. His men reacted accordingly despite the fact that the Britons presently outnumbered them, giving their all else it meant their blood.
He glanced around the ranks which were soon dwindling, the shield line reforming as was standard. He nodded, at least his men were following their training and not giving into their blood lust. Blood lust killed more men than the enemy alone if not checked. He didn't like their odds and knew the chances of him surviving this night were slim but they had to make a stand of it. At least until the Second and Eighth could reach them and change the odds of the battle's favour.
The Centurion snorted in derision as he thrust his blade into the armpit of the man before him that had threatened to rob him of his second in command. Renius continued to shout encouragement in the fullest knowledge that all they had was the adrenaline they were fighting with and the training of a Roman legionary. "Stay together! Stay as one, ladies!" he shouted in the midst of sword and blood. They were steadily giving ground, slowly but sure. Renius spat on the ground, where the hell was the Second and Eighth and cursed his ill luck as he chanced a look behind him; eye scanning for movement but still lay nothing. To the field aside more cohorts were equally struggling to maintain the shield line.
"Kaeso!" he cried in warning but it came too late as the Briton's sword swerved and tore out his Optio's throat in a violent spray of arterial blood. Renius roared in anger and thrust the point of his sword into an unprotected side of the Briton's chest as his Optio blinked and fell forwards, his helmet rolling off from his head as he landed. Renius and his men were down to a handful and it was clear no reinforcements were coming to his aid. The few that remained surrounded their Centurion in the same clear understanding they wouldn't be going back to the barracks.
"Let's not disappoint your Optio lads!" he cried and they answered the call, downing a few more of the Britons. He had to hand it to them, they didn't disappoint in giving their all in a fight as he danced with the blue painted bastards. He went to put another down before another tackled into him to the ground. The three legionaries left were surrounded and disappeared in cries of pain.
Renius knew he would soon join them as he fell, the heavy weight pinning him down. Grunting, he smashed the pommel of his sword into the man's face and then realised his shield had been wrenched free. He smashed the pommel again and again before the weight stilled. He grimaced against the stink of the lime-washed hair absently aware the Briton's blood spooled and dripped onto his armour, tunic and skin. He glanced and had been about to rise but saw the Britons left standing that had massacred his cohort hadn't seen that he was still alive.
He remained beneath the dead Briton fearing they would spot him, fingers flexing around the hilt of his sword. He had been about to roll the Briton off of him but before he could worry about the effects of the lime-wash's effect on his chainmail, his world was suddenly encased in a sudden hot white light. He cried out and the world spun around him before it blackened out completely. It seemed to last an age before the spinning stopped and he slammed into something hard face first. He groaned and blinked his eyes open. Renius squinted against the dark and frowned. What on Jupiter's stone had just happened? Where there hell was he?
Shaking his head, he stood and fixed his helmet straight, the front now a little dented. He breathed heavily and moved to one side as he explored his strange surroundings only to bump into something with a slight thunk from his armour. The Centurion spun, brandishing his weapon. The adrenaline that had overridden his pain and tiredness was ebbing, only remaining due to the lack of knowing where he was. This was not the field and marshland of the Briton's homeland he'd lost his men on moments before. Ferns dominated the earth in a vast lush blanket of greens with giant redwoods stabbing up from the ground in their bid to reach the best light.
"This has got to be one crazy dream," he muttered as Renius stared out at the alien landscape around him with no recognition of where he was or where this could be. This looked like nothing he had ever seen before. He looked all around him and made a couple of steps before a roaring sound made him freeze to the spot. In all his time in Britannia, Germania and Rome, he had never heard anything like it. He faced the direction he thought it came from but he had no clue, his sword held out at the ready but the tip of the sword quivered in its position.
@Drackana Darastrix
He glanced around the ranks which were soon dwindling, the shield line reforming as was standard. He nodded, at least his men were following their training and not giving into their blood lust. Blood lust killed more men than the enemy alone if not checked. He didn't like their odds and knew the chances of him surviving this night were slim but they had to make a stand of it. At least until the Second and Eighth could reach them and change the odds of the battle's favour.
The Centurion snorted in derision as he thrust his blade into the armpit of the man before him that had threatened to rob him of his second in command. Renius continued to shout encouragement in the fullest knowledge that all they had was the adrenaline they were fighting with and the training of a Roman legionary. "Stay together! Stay as one, ladies!" he shouted in the midst of sword and blood. They were steadily giving ground, slowly but sure. Renius spat on the ground, where the hell was the Second and Eighth and cursed his ill luck as he chanced a look behind him; eye scanning for movement but still lay nothing. To the field aside more cohorts were equally struggling to maintain the shield line.
"Kaeso!" he cried in warning but it came too late as the Briton's sword swerved and tore out his Optio's throat in a violent spray of arterial blood. Renius roared in anger and thrust the point of his sword into an unprotected side of the Briton's chest as his Optio blinked and fell forwards, his helmet rolling off from his head as he landed. Renius and his men were down to a handful and it was clear no reinforcements were coming to his aid. The few that remained surrounded their Centurion in the same clear understanding they wouldn't be going back to the barracks.
"Let's not disappoint your Optio lads!" he cried and they answered the call, downing a few more of the Britons. He had to hand it to them, they didn't disappoint in giving their all in a fight as he danced with the blue painted bastards. He went to put another down before another tackled into him to the ground. The three legionaries left were surrounded and disappeared in cries of pain.
Renius knew he would soon join them as he fell, the heavy weight pinning him down. Grunting, he smashed the pommel of his sword into the man's face and then realised his shield had been wrenched free. He smashed the pommel again and again before the weight stilled. He grimaced against the stink of the lime-washed hair absently aware the Briton's blood spooled and dripped onto his armour, tunic and skin. He glanced and had been about to rise but saw the Britons left standing that had massacred his cohort hadn't seen that he was still alive.
He remained beneath the dead Briton fearing they would spot him, fingers flexing around the hilt of his sword. He had been about to roll the Briton off of him but before he could worry about the effects of the lime-wash's effect on his chainmail, his world was suddenly encased in a sudden hot white light. He cried out and the world spun around him before it blackened out completely. It seemed to last an age before the spinning stopped and he slammed into something hard face first. He groaned and blinked his eyes open. Renius squinted against the dark and frowned. What on Jupiter's stone had just happened? Where there hell was he?
Shaking his head, he stood and fixed his helmet straight, the front now a little dented. He breathed heavily and moved to one side as he explored his strange surroundings only to bump into something with a slight thunk from his armour. The Centurion spun, brandishing his weapon. The adrenaline that had overridden his pain and tiredness was ebbing, only remaining due to the lack of knowing where he was. This was not the field and marshland of the Briton's homeland he'd lost his men on moments before. Ferns dominated the earth in a vast lush blanket of greens with giant redwoods stabbing up from the ground in their bid to reach the best light.
"This has got to be one crazy dream," he muttered as Renius stared out at the alien landscape around him with no recognition of where he was or where this could be. This looked like nothing he had ever seen before. He looked all around him and made a couple of steps before a roaring sound made him freeze to the spot. In all his time in Britannia, Germania and Rome, he had never heard anything like it. He faced the direction he thought it came from but he had no clue, his sword held out at the ready but the tip of the sword quivered in its position.
@Drackana Darastrix